professional studies year 2017/18
modular and prefabricate construction Section 01
trust me, i’m an (unlicensed) architect Section 02
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ]
eco
S T U D I O
Nur Fazuin Binti Ramli 16055778 Professional Studies 2017/18 Master of Architecture atelier qed Manchester School of Architecture RIBA Part II
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ] 4
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
01 SECTION
CRITICAL APPRAISAL ON PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Introduction: Modular & Prefabricate Construction Brief History
Page 09
Advantages & Benefits
Page 13
Current Scenario in the Construction Industry RIBA Plan of Work 2013 Conclusion
Page 07
Page 15
Page 19
Page 33
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
5
chapter 1
modular and prefabricate construction
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
eco
01 S T U D I O
SECTION
INTRODUCTION
In this essay, I intend to deliver a critical
review and appraisal of the procedural process
in delivering a specific type of an architectural project in the UK, which looks into the RIBA Plan
of Work 2013 in particular and its relevance in modular & prefabricate construction designs. Please
note
the
terminology
“modular
&
prefabricate construction� used to claim the adoption of building industrialisation and the use of prefabrication of components in building construction.
This critical appraisal will first identify
and analyse major problems in delivering modular & prefabricate design construction, and then look how the implementation of RIBA
Plan of Work 2013 during the procedural process benefits towards the resolutions. In this essay, propositions will be discussed in terms of how to
make the processes more effective in its overall operation in delivering modular & prefabricate construction design. Modular
Components that are volumetric in shape and that form a completed part of a building.
Prefabricate Any single assembly fabricated in the factory, to assist construction speed or quality.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
7
chapter 2
brief
history
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
B R I E F H I S T O R Y O F M O D U L A R & P R E FA B R I C AT I O N
Figure 1: Modular & Prefabrication
[Source: Google Image]
Construction is defined as a process of
building or constructing a form of a landmark, structure,
monument
or
infrastructure.
A
modular & prefabricate construction is part of construction but using a different method that
includes a manufacturing process to produce a variation of building components of a project and has the ability to adapt to a small scale or
large scale developments. The term “construction industrialisation� is poorly defined. Most people are confused with other terms that arise based on users experience and understanding that
A modular & prefabricate construction
is verified as a modern way of construction that can offer high quality buildings, cost saving,
timely construction and efficient construction through standardization and mass production (CIDB, 2017). Esa and Nuruddin (1998) defined
that modular and prefabricate construction is a sequence from utilising craftsman in every aspect of construction to a system of manufacturing
product in order to minimise wastage and enhance value for end user.
varies from different countries. The process of manufacturing the components can be done
either on-site or off-site, depending on the
framework and nature of the project. It helps to create a better environment where most of the construction operation are done in a well organised area.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
9
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
In the United Kingdom, the use of modular and
prefabricate construction became transparent in mid 1900’s after the broad annihilation of housing stock during the Second World War. By
1960’s the government initiate over 165,000 unit
of houses had been build using prefabricated concrete from individual bungalows to high rise
dwellings (Thanoon, W. 2003). Prefabricated
concrete serve about 25% of the retail market for the cement based product in the United Kingdom comprise of broad range of component
used in construction industry such as blocks,
paving, slabs, frames and other structural element (Glass, J. 2000). Therefore, the off-site
construction became increasingly popular in the United Kingdom with the increase of demand during that period.
10 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ] PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 11
chapter 3
benefits and advantages
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
A D V A N TA G E S A N D B E N E F I T S
There are numerous benefits of adopting
modular & prefabrication in the construction
industry. Modular & prefabrication aims to deliver projects faster, reduce costs and improve quality.
There is no downside to the implementation of this construction method. The benefits have
been a consequential factor to encourage its adoption, and avoiding the complications faced through conventional construction method (Pan et al., 2007; Blismas & Wakefield, 2009).
The UK Government has seen significant
developments and improvements in construction markets in developed countries such as Japan and
Germany. They saw great potential for modular &
prefabricate construction and is already proven by their significant growing market shares. The UK construction industry intended to adopt
this innovative approach to increase the rate of construction, and keen to implement it in the UK (Izatul Jabar et al, 2013).
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 13
chapter 4
what is currently happening
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
CURRENT SCENARIO IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
However,
all
excellent
benefits
of
modular & prefabricate construction products
are impossible to be materialized if the issues in the construction phase are being neglected. Despite the rigorous advantages of modular &
prefabricate construction, industry stakeholders
are still unsure of its implementation because of the obvious complications such as technical complications, insufficient skilled labour and also design conflicts in the whole process.
Literatures have identified that project
delays, low construction qualities and demanding costs in modular & prefabricate constructions is often caused by seriously poor management in
delivering the project. (Kamar et al., 2011). The issue of poor management in delivering modular & prefabricate construction is often associated
to unskilled contractor. It is unequitable that the construction industry is truely depending on the contractors who manage the processes involved in the modular & prefabricate construction
life cycle. This section is to encourage better
understanding for all parties and a clearer picture on problems that may arise in delivering modular & prefabricate construction method.
Major problems to be discussed are
specifically categorized in 3 different construction
phases. Firstly is Pre-construction, where it includes considerations in initial planning phase.
It covers activities such as defining the project
There
are
several
problems
and
complications when implementing modular & prefabricate construction. In a research done by
Izatul Jabar et al (2013), it includes generic issues such as the high capital cost needed in the
beginning of the project, lack of prefabrication
knowledge, requirement of skill labour, inflexible component
standardization,
difficulties
in
transporting the prefabricated modules to site, coordination and etc. It is worth listing out what
are the issues currently faced in the industry and
scope, allocating sources, project budgets,
and also identifying possible risks throughout the project. Second phase, Construction; also commonly known as the performing phase
where the construction is executed to achieve the project objective and finally, the Postconstruction phase. Post-construction comprises
of activities such as evaluating and identifying value of the work. This is a look back over the
project to see what can be improved, and how the value can contribute to future projects.
taking advantage of this knowledge to improvise,
in line with RIBA Plan of Work 2013. However, rather than focusing on these generic issues,
this chapter serves to highlight more relevant
problems that involved during the construction phase.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 15
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
16 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 17
chapter 5
RIBA Plan of Work 2013
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
I N I T I A L S TA G E S
Stage 0 of the RIBA Plan of Work is a new
adoption in 2013 revision, which strategically works in line with the early process of modular &
prefabricate construction. According to the RIBA
Plan of Work 2013, Stage 1 Strategic Definition
evaluates the value of the project before a detailed brief is created. It clarifies the project before actual commencement of an in depth brief. In this stage, the process enables the
architect and all other parties involved to ensure they are fully informed of the requirements and scope of works. In consideration of implementing
modular & prefabricate construction in a project,
With the early agreement amongst the
architect, client and other related parties, site
appraisals can be carried out. It is also crucial to consider whether the site given has the ability to accommodate modular & prefabricate construction, which will very much affecting the
project’s practically and workability. Therefore, with the introduction of Stage 0, it gives the
opportunity for all parties to provide clear objectives and aim of the project, making
modular & prefabricate construction method becomes more sensible to be realized.
early decision must be made, essentially in Stage
0. It also gives an opportunity for architects to dispel some of the stereotypes that any client may associate with the profession and act accordingly to the RIBA Plan of Work.
It is crucial to ensure that the development
of early project directions and strategies in
the project are well prepared as they are most
probably be controlled by the clients and their
respective advisers. The agreement from all
It also beneficial as Stage 0, being part
construction from the early design stage becomes
consider whether or not to undertake similar
the project team. When modular & prefabricate
aspects of reuse from previous projects. Client
but reappraise in the later stage, the design that
in the early stage if they agree on the option.
higher possibility of not being able to suit for
approach, it enables continuous researches
to make sudden changes in the middle of the
industry.
parties in adopting modular & prefabricate
of the design feedback loop, clients may also
a great success and also a great challenge for
modular
construction framework is originally rejected,
can also be enlighten on the reduction of costs
has been produced and further developed has
With the introduction of this new Stage 0
modular or prefabrication system. It is absurd
and improvements in modular & prefabrication
&
prefabricate
requirements
with
project progress.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 19
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
Stage 1 is arguably the most important
stage of the project where the foundation are laid
for a successful scheme. A preliminary appraisal of all available information is carried out to assess the options and feasibility of the modular
& prefabricate construction. The aim of this stage
is to determine an Initial Project Brief, of which shall include a requirement for the designated
modular & prefabricate constructions. This is
to encourage the project team to embrace the approach throughout the process and to ensure than the next stage is as productive as possible.
Project
costs
estimation
would
be
slightly different from the project costs involved in conventional construction. At this stage
prior agreeing to the final brief, the architect would have to make sure the project cash
flow be abundantly flexible to accommodate alternative procurement routes and modular & prefabrications. This may be involving a different
payment schedule comparing to the conventional construction. Clients should be well informed for the possibility of initial costs such as deposit payment for reserving factory etc.
20 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
At this stage, I think that it is essential
for architects to inform clients to appoint more
design and planning manufacturing consultants. Evaluations of potential subcontracts might as
well be done in the early stage to speed up the
design process. However, it is crucial for the
client to set out relevant criteria of the project when setting out the design team at this stage,
as it would be very helpful when evaluating the design team’s ability to deliver the project using modular & prefabricate construction method. An
early design freeze and an initial project brief
is eventually developed resulting in a project commissioned on the client’s requirements, and have malleability to adapt to progression made during Stage 2 where it is finalized as the final brief.
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
PRE-CONSTRUCTION PHASE
&
In the effort to achieve success, modular
prefabricate
construction
implementation
demands the design team (architect) to think
differently at Stage 2, particularly the buildability aspects of the design scheme within a federated
BIM model. The client has to start appointing
specialist subcontractors, in order to get them involved in the early design development stage rather than how it is outlined in the RIBA Plan of Work, which demonstrates later involvement
It becomes an opportunity to encourage
collaboration to achieve procurement. Most subcontractor components
of
prefer
modular
&
collaborative
prefabricate
approach,
being involved in early stages. This will benefit both parties; the designer team and construction
team, in a way that enable the specialist subcontractor to propose ideas and provide knowledge that the designers may be lacking of.
of specialist subcontractor in Stage 4. Later
involvement will not ensure the feasibility and practically for modular & prefabricate construction.
Figure 5: Design Approach
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 21
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
However, there have been greater concern
questioning its value and design qualities, but
design for modular & prefabricate construction will not limited the designer’s creativity (Joseph, M. 2012). In fact, Cooper, B. (2014) suggests
that designing with constraints are actually
beneficial and can make designer be more
creative. Designing for modular & prefabricate construction may have a little impact of the
building’s design. However, this can be achieved if design is properly developed along with the help of specialist subcontractors. If the team agrees to adopt modern method of modular construction later in Stage 3 and Stage 4, it is necessary for
the team to carry out early proposition at Stage 2. Basically, the implementation of modular &
prefabricate construction requires the design team to change their thinking away from the
conventional construction method, to a setting
of how the buildings are going to assemble rather than to be constructed.
22 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
At Stage 2 is also when the architect may
advice the client of the procurement route to be chosen before further development. However,
the complexity and nature of the project, with
the need to reduce construction period and the need to improvise project performance has raised huge pressure to strive for other ways in
delivering the project. From the findings done by
Dzulkalnine N. et al (2016), it is suggested that a
new contract of document especially project that involves prefabrication should be proposed. The
existing procurement method is not suitable with
the modular & prefabrication project because of the different procedure.
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
Figure 6: RIBA member’s online survey 2012
One of the major changes in RIBA
Outline Plan 2013 is the adoption of alternative procurement routes (Figure 6) in comparison to RIBA Outline Plan of Work 2007 which only aligns
to traditional procurement. The new change benefits modular & prefabricate construction as
this type of development is mostly delivered with Design and Build procurement. It signified the difference with other conventional construction as the main contractor would help to develop the
design with appointed specialist subcontractor, to
a point where the planning issue would be taken
over by the architect. The split of responsibility between the contractor and specialist sub-
contractor has to be defined clearly and agreed unanimously. This provides better control and
time saving of the whole process, as Design and
Build allows the contractor to carry out design and construction respectively.
Figure 7: Basic strucuture of Design & Build Contract
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 23
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
The purpose of Technical Design is to
produce more refined detail drawings before the construction stage. Containing all the aspects
that has been carried on from the earlier stages,
Technical design basically consists of the three
parts: architectural details, structural details, and building service details. It also serves to finalize design by adding on design from the specialist
subcontractor that has been appointed at the start of the project.
Stage 4 in RIBA Plan of Work 2013
highlighted the involvement of specialized production drawing that requires the designer to consider manufacturing offsite. This stage to
strategically allow the involvement of specialist subcontractor in making minor adjustments to
suit site conditions, particularly for conventional onsite
construction
method.
However,
this
approach will not be practical for modular
& prefabricate construction because of the complexity and nature of the project, is mainly focusing on factory environment.
The complexity of modular & prefabricate
construction projects can make it difficult to follow the process laid out by the RIBA Plan of
Work. There will be several activities be carried out simultaneously resulting in overlapping of process as outlined in Stage 3 Developed
Design and Stage 4 Technical Design. Therefore,
it is crucial for the project to have clear Design Responsibility
Matrix
throughout the process.
and
Project
24 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Strategy
At this stage, modular & prefabricate
construction method, requires the design team
and specialist subcontractor to work in parallel in getting the coordination of prefabrication
elements, specifically within an integrated BIM model. A greater level of understanding and
comprehensive design is required, and eventually
resulting in beneficial output of a fully worked through design. The adoption of BIM in RIBA
Plan of Work 2013 is not just about technology but about collaboration and information sharing, and seems to greatly support the ambition that
modular & prefabricate construction is trying
to achieve. With BIM, potential difficulties can be identified in the early stage of the project, minimizing risks and the needs for drawing amendments in later stage.
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 25
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
With
the
fact
that
modular
and
prefabricate components depend entirely on computational techniques, I solely believe that factory-manufactured prototypes, or mock ups,
will help the design team to avoid duplication,
wastage and definitely beneficial in reducing costs. These prototypes then should be inspected
and approved by all parties consisting of the
architect, clients, contractor and subcontractor while giving attention to tricky installation details, safety and quality of the prototypes. This
is to ensure maximum accuracy in the littlest
detail and detecting any defect earlier before the real production commences.
This is where stage 4 Technical Design
and Stage 5 Construction in RIBA Plan of Work
2013 will be overlapping across each other as the prefabrication process and delivery is done simultaneously over the construction period.
There are many potential benefits that can be captured from this overlapping activities across stages and it is something that should not be
overlooked. With a proper manufacturing time
and delivering schedule, modular & prefabricate components that are already been tested into
mock ups can be sent out for production earlier in phases. Short cuts may be feasible, as while
other components are still in production, the ready components can strategically be sent out to the site. This will save greater time and allow
extra time allocated for any minor mistake to appear.
26 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
PERFORMING PHASE
To ensure smooth work flow on site, the
architect and client must agree to engage with
a specialist subcontractor or a site personnel, a person who is in charge of spatial assembly of
modular & prefabricate components. The site
personnel will coordinate every procedure based on what’s written in the contract earlier, and
might need to be involved with the prefabrication
process as early as the production phase. He/She
will ensure that all modules are prefabricated and delivered to site on time. The major problem in implementing non-conventional construction method is the lack of skilled workers, however,
if the design team and clients has unanimously
agreed to embed this method, the workers need to be trained on how to execute modular &
prefabricate components simultaneously during the component productions to save more time rather than training the workers on site.
As mentioned earlier, overlapping of
stages outlined in RIBA Plan of Work 2013 happen
when the production, delivery and assembly
activities occur simultaneously. All prototypes or mock ups that has met its standard and
ready for its production can be delivered early
to site to reduce the time and complication in the manufacturing factory. With the nature of modular & prefabricate construction method, a
“two bin system� is implemented at this stage. Two bin system is a potential solution for efficient resupplying process. When the bin on one side
that is closest to the operative is empty, it is moved to the back of the rack. The other bin is
then pulled forward. The bin that is empty will be filled at the rear. With this process, the modular
& prefabricated components will be efficiently delivered and assembled one after another.
Furthermore, it is essential to have an
early agreement of whether or not to have on-
site manufacturing as it requires more aspects to be considered, such as sufficient space for constructing a prefabrication yard, the
mobilization of machineries and equipment, etc.
Either way, the site personnel will need to make sure efficient access for transportation, right of way and provide protected storage for the
modules & prefabricated components before
assembly. The failure in evaluating the potential
constraint in the planning phase will only reduce productivity and slows down the assembly
process (Pan et al., 2004). The site personnel will also be in charge of the quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) from the early production phase throughout the project completion.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 27
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
Figure 9: Overlapping of stages to increase efficiency in delivering modular and prefabricate construction
28 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
POST-COMPLETION PHASE
Another addition of RIBA Plan of Work 2013
is the new Stage 7, which is not entirely new but
gives better guidance to the evaluation process. Rather than evaluating the building once it is
completed, the new Plan of Work recommended
it to be done during “In Use” period, and to update Project Information regularly “until the end of a building’s life”. Assessing the building’s
performance during the occupation in real time is one of the essential method to allow client and
design team to receive feedbacks for the user,
enabling continuous learning and improvement
for their future projects. Maintenance issues
related to modular & prefabrication aspects can be reviewed, documented and fed back to the contractor and also their liaised sub-contractors.
As we all know, the nature of modular
& prefabricated components is either being permanent construction components or semipermanent, meaning that it has potential and
ability to be dissembled at the end of the building life. This requires part of the modular
or prefabricated components be disassemble,
recycled or even reassemble to adapt with
future use. This will also enable resources to be reused to their very best when demolishing or disassembling of the building is necessary, making the process in the most efficient and
productive as compared to other demolition method of conventional buildings. The practice
towards this resource-gentle building can be pushed forward by considering the ability of modular or prefabricated components to be disassembled and reassembled.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 29
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
However, there is no specific stage in
RIBA Plan of Work 2013 for decommissioning and disassembly process. In comparison to
Construction Industry Council (CIC)’s work stages which reflect the work done for UK Government BIM Task Group, its final stage (Stage 7 Operation)
includes the end of the facility’s life. It is crucial
for the design team to consider this even before the design life has expired, where there may be the need to replace individual systems or components during the building occupation. For
example, M&E systems usually have a shorter life
span than structure, and requires an aftercare after some time, and unfortunately it is unclear
under which stage in RIBA Plan of Work that this activity will be carried out.
30 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
According
to
Figure
above,
the
decommissioning and disassembly activities may come under the Stage 7 In Use in relation
to the CIC work stages. However, RIBA should have included this activity in the Plan of Work
by structuring a detail guidance to give clearer
understanding of how certain types of project align with the individual stages. This has
proven the fact that there are more aspects to be considered in different types of project, in
particular modular & prefabricate construction projects, and potentially need more work stages as to make the RIBA Plan of Work be as flexible as possible.
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ] PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 31
chapter 6
conclusion
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
Throughout
this
essay
it
has
been
demonstrated how modular & prefabricate
construction project is being delivered in conjunction with RIBA Plan of Work 2013. It
has shown to be beneficial, and uncertain as well on how the implementation of the Plan
of Work works when delivering this particular type of project. Although the Plan of Work was
established with the intention to accommodate more
flexibility
of
procedural
process
for
various type of project, it still does not feel truly flexible as there many aspects that are currently overlooked. The developments made since then
does not contribute to modular & prefabricate
construction sector and proven that it is still quite difficult for this sector to follow the process laid out by the RIBA Plan of Work 2013.
As the highlight, the introduction of Stage
0 Strategic Definition and Stage 7 In Use would be most beneficial to this sector. It does not
only gives crystal clear value of the architect’s
scope of work in the initial stage, but also gives the opportunity for modular & prefabrication
construction industry to evaluate their completed work during the in use period of the building at
The major challenges for modular &
prefabricate construction in the UK is to ensure
that the project is delivered efficiently and safely. As acknowledged by RIBA, overlapping of stages
may occur depending on its necessity. It is vital for
modular & prefabrication to be able to progress through stages 2-5. Some aspects of the design
may develop earlier than others; or project constraints may make it necessary to overlap with other stages. As an example, production of
modular & prefabricate components does not
simply fall into Stage 4 Technical Design, but it can still continue into Stage 5 Construction,
allowing the simultaneous back-to-back process
to improve efficiency in modular & prefabricate construction.
Throughout writing this essay, I can’t
help but noticing the confusion of the term
‘construction’ and ‘assembly’ used to describe the activities conducted in Stage 7. Perhaps
this can also be an opportunity to highlight the objective of modular & prefabrication, which
focuses more on practicality with the idea of ‘assembly’ rather than ‘construction’.
Stage 7.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 33
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
However, not all parties are happy with
the new Plan of Work. According to the survey
conducted by the Association of Consultant
Architects, they have found that half of the
participating respondents claimed the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 was unhelpful. This latest Plan of
Work by RIBA is said to be not coherence enough and diminished the importance of technical design (Ridgett, J. 2017).
I feel that the lack of clarity in the
planning and technical design stage should
be addressed as soon as possible to avoid the confusion in delivering projects. As mentioned
before, for modular & prefabricate construction,
potentially requires interconnected work stages for execution of such projects. In my opinion,
the Plan of Work should be able to fit other requirements in different type of project, rather than having one that is assumed to suit all
requirements. Perhaps it will be beneficial to all other non-conventional construction project if the Plan of Work has the ability to be tailored to
this specific area of architecture and construction, not only limiting it by procurement methods.
34 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ] PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 35
bibliography
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
UK Essays. November 2013. The Definition Of Industrialised Building System Construction Essay. [Online]. Available at: https://www.ukessays. com/essays/construction/the-definition-ofindustrialised-building-system-constructionessay.php?cref=1 [Accessed 13 January 2018]. Building & Engineering Services Association, 2015. An Offsite Guide for the Building and Engineering Services Sector [Online]. Available at: https://www.buildoffsite.com/content/ uploads/2016/01/OffsiteGuide.pdf [Accessed on 29th November 2017]. CIDB, 2015. Construction Industry Development Boards MAS. [Online] Available at: http://www. cidb.gov.my/index.php/en/ [Accessed on 29th November 2017]. Esa. H and Nuruddin. MM. Policy on industrialized building system. Report on Colloquium on Industrialized Construction System: Kuala Lumpur. Thanoon, W. 2003. The Experience of Malaysia and other Countries in Industrialised Building System. [Online] Available at: https://www.researchgate. net/profile/S_Sapuan/publication/228469116_ The_Experiences_of_Malaysia_and_other_ countries_in_industrialised_building_system/ links/564095b208aef2be8e054883/TheExperiences-of-Malaysia-and-other-countriesin-industrialised-building-system.pdf [Accessed on 2nd January 2018]. Glass, J. 2000. The Future for Precast Concrete in Low-rise Housing. DETR. [Online]. Available at: https://web41.secure-secure.co.uk/ britishprecast.org/publications/bpcfbrochure. pdf [Accessed on 29th November 2017]. Ridgett, J. 2017. Why the RIBA Plan of Work could undermine the profession. The Architects’ Journal [Online]. Available at: https://www. architectsjournal.co.uk/opinion/why-ther i b a - p l a n - o f- w o r k- c o u l d - u n d e r m i n e - t h e profession/10018029.article [Accessed on 2nd January 2018].
Izatul laili Jabar, Faridah Ismail, Arniatul Aiza Mustafa, 2013. Issues in Managing Construction Phase of IBS Projects, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. [Online]. Available at: http:// www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ticle/pii/ S1877042813020764 [Accessed on 2nd January 2018]. Kamar et. al, 2011. Industrialized Building System (IBS): Revisiting Issues of Definition and Classification. [Online]. Available at: https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/251422513_ Industrialized_Building_System_IBS_Revisiting_ Issues_of_Definition_and_Classification [Accessed on 29th November 2017]. Joseph, M. 2012. A Case Study Approach to Identifying the Constraints and Barriers to Design Innovation for Modular Construction. [Online]. Available at: https://vtechworks.lib. vt.edu/handle/10919/32397 [Accessed on 5thv January 2018]. Blismas, N., & Wakefield, R. (2009). Drivers, constraints and the future of offsite manufacture in Australia. Construction Innovation. Dzulkalnine, N. et. al 2016. Issues of Payment Procurement Process for Industrialised Building System Project. [Online]. Available at: https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/303681753_ issues_of_payment_procurement_process_for_ industrialised_building_system_ibs_project [Accessed on 2nd January 2018]. Pan, W., Gibb, A. G. F., & Dainty, A. R. J. (2014). Strategies for Integrating the Use of Offsite Production Technologies in Housebuilding. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. [Online]. Available at: https:// ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.19437862.0000544 [Accessed on 5thv January 2018].
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 37
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ] 38 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
02 SECTION
CRITICAL APPRAISAL ON BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Introduction
Page 41
The Blurred Boundaries
Page 43
The Competition within the Profession
Page 47
Danger to the Public & to the Profession Where it went wrong
Page 57
Conclusion: The Solution is within You Self-Appraisal
Page 53
Page 63
Page 69
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 39
chapter 1
trust me, i’m an (unlicensed) architect
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
eco
02 S T U D I O
SECTION
INTRODUCTION
in
This critical appraisal wishes to elaborate
depth
how
architecture
profession,
or
architecture practice has changed over time. Rather
than
going
into
depth
regarding
conventional architectural consultancy practices, this essay focuses on how illegal practices
are being run in the perspective of graduate
architects, or probably better be described as architect without the term “unlicensed”. It is
undeniable that many registered architects will express their opposing views on this argument, stating that ‘the Law defines an architect as a licensed professional’. As discussed by Brinn
From my 6 years of experience in
architecture world, both within education and from my time in practice, has widen my awareness
on possibilities on how architecture practices could potentially be wrong, or in other word, unprofessional. With such I intend to critically
appraise the current scenario of unlicensed architects taking over as design consultants and
how their “practices” are run. This essay will also
provide exemplary real practices happening in architectural world to understand where the failings occurred.
Miracle (2010), the confusion of the terminology use
to
politely
represent
practitioners remain unclear.
this
group
of
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 41
chapter 2
the blurred boundaries
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
THE BLURRED BOUNDARIES
The practice and role of an architect since
its inception, is one of the professions that which
has been in constant transition. It is one of the profession that is always struggling to maintain
its relevance. Over the years, the architect has gone from being a ‘master builder’, down to
just being a designer, focusing more at the early stage of a project. In an ever developing
world, this particular architects’ role and job
descriptions have become blurred, as there are
slowly be taken over by those who are capable in the related professions.
The architectural design process has
become a collaborative process. With the
shrinking responsibilities of an architect over the years, clients and laymen often question
the need for an architect or what their role in a project is. One of the reasons why is due to design-and-build
and
related
procurement
routes, clients are now prefer approaching contractors and builders directly for guidance and advice rather than seeing architects who
were once, master-builders. The contemporary construction industry has been adopting other professions, gradually over years as represented in the diagram. Contractors, planners, engineers
and consultants all have their essential role to focus on. Without a doubt, if architects continue
to sub-divide their roles in the project and
construction stages, our responsibilities will be limited to designing and providing drawings.
Figure 13: Demishing role of Architects over time
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 43
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
THE BLURRED BOUNDARIES
Figure 14: Profession involved in the Built Environment Industry
44
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ] BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 45
chapter 3
the competition within the profession
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
THE COMPETITION WITHIN THE PROFESSION
A
survey
was
conducted
by
BD
Employment, resulting unpleasant truths of architecture industry in the United Kingdom. It
has revealed the percentage of employment of architects and non-qualified graduates. 22% of
British architects appears to be unemployed, and
most surprisingly, 9% of licensed architect were employed in non-architectural businesses. What
On the other hand, 44% of graduate
architects are unemployed after completing Part 2. 18% are employed in a non-architecture-related business, making it only 38% of graduates have
secured their job positions in the profession, with a number of graduates focusing more on freelance and moonlighting works.
made them leave the industry? Or do they feel comfortable this way?
However, the statistics does not provide
clear reasons of what affected the decision of the
individuals who participated in the survey (Rory Stott, 2013). There is no way of knowing what
caused them to leave the profession, or knowing
whether these jobs are under paid or otherwise. The participants in these categories were from all possibilities, in unknown ratios.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 47
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
THE COMPETITION WITHIN THE PROFESSION
A
flick
through
articles
related
to
the current architecture education industry would leave anyone wondering what exactly is happening to our profession. It is more peculiar knowing the fact has been found by Farrell
(2015), that a very large number of students, who
studies in architecture is not employed with a career in the profession when they completed their studies, may it be at the end of Part 1 or
Part 2 course. This scenario, to some extent,
might greatly be caused by the undersupply of
job positions in the conventional architectural
As stated by the HM Government (2013),
in this economic sector, the Government’s higher
education strategy is made clear by providing a massive source of national income, and is expecting to expand the strategy in the long run.
Tony Fretton, being one of the well known British
architects, expressed himself disappointed as
this will only cause architecture schools and institutions to increase the student intakes, hence
creating more difference in supply and demand of jobs in architecture profession (Booth, 2013).
firms/practices due to the increasing number of architecture graduates entering the profession (Stott, 2013).
Figure 17: Student of UK School of Architecture in all years (UK)
48
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
THE COMPETITION WITHIN THE PROFESSION
Figure 18: Percentage of Architects to its population
It is even more worrying when it comes
to the profession in the whole wide world. In
2014, Moditalia – one of the exhibition in Venice
Architecture Beinnale, has produced a statistics representing the percentage of architects to its
population of over 36 countries around the world (Quirk, 2014). However, it left architects with arguments and questioning whether is there any “golden ratio” of architects to populations.
To complicate matters, this has driven the
unnecessary urge in many countries to increase the number of architects in the profession. We
should be concerned not only with quantity but quality as well. Instead of shifting the ratio
according to economic growth, many countries attempted to take control of the number of
students in order to enforce this “golden ratio”.
Schools are pumping out graduates at an alarming rate. Hence the industry is producing
more and more architecture students and graduates, neglecting how to accommodate this growing number of architect graduates.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 49
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
THE COMPETITION WITHIN THE PROFESSION
Figure 19: Comparison with Commonwealth nations
50
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
THE COMPETITION WITHIN THE PROFESSION
Take Malaysia for example: showing the
ratio of numbers professional architects are the lowest in comparison with other developing
countries (refer Figure 19). Why is there so
little number of licensed architects compare to the others? These countries listed are all Commonwealth nations, adopting very similar education systems.
In
Malaysia,
the
population
is
approximately 31.19 million yet they only have
upwards of 2,025 licensed architects. That’s a ratio of 1 architect for every 15,402 Malaysians
(Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia – Board of Architects
Whilst
many
have
expressed
disappointment and also surprised at these statistics, I asked myself with these questions
regarding the growing number of architecture students all around the world;
“ How do graduate architects, or unlicensed architects barely survive in this profession in the competitive industry, and how do they possibly do it? Where do young graduates go? ”
Malaysia, 2017). In the beginning, Board of
Architects Malaysia recommends that the ratio
of registered professional architects to its
population for a rapid developing country such as Malaysia, is approximately 1:1000. However, another series of studies were done, suggesting
a more realistic ratio target of 1: 8000 (Universiti Putra Malaysia, 2011). Based on this target and
national population forecasts, it is estimated that the number of professional architects required
in the next five years is about 3 times its current total. With the ridiculous growing demand in
number of professional architects, it is still unclear whether the industry has enough job supplies to accommodate these future graduates.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 51
chapter 4
danger to the public and to the profession
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
DA N G E R TO T H E P U B L I C & TO T H E P RO F E S S I O N
The emergence of individuals and groups
of graduates or unlicensed architects in disguise
themselves of design consultants or companies
delivering architectural consultancy services is developing rapidly almost everywhere in
architecture industry. This practice is a potential risk to the public interest, as well as to the
architecture profession. However, the definition
of what illegal architects or illegal practices is still unclear. According to Section 20 of the
Architects Act 1997; the provision for protecting
The title “architect” can only be used in
business or practice by people who have had the education, training and experience needed to become an architect. They must also registered with ARB. It is also understood that any practice,
providing a full or a part of architecture
consultancy services without being registered to ARB is illegal. The diagram below shows
the interconnection between an Architectural Consultancy Practice & Incorporated Company.
title states,
“ a person shall not practise or carry on business under any name, style or title containing the word ‘architect’ unless he is a person registered under this Act. ”
Figure 20: Interconnection between an ACP and Incorporation Company BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 53
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
DA N G E R TO T H E P U B L I C & TO T H E P RO F E S S I O N
Have you ever wonder how did the illegal
practices managed to survive up to this day? As
discussed earlier, the insufficient job supply has left our graduates unemployed. This is where majority of young graduates or unlicensed
architects involve themselves into. There are many ways to identify illegal practices today.
You could easily find these practices seeking recruits through job search websites etc. Having
the world at your fingertips, they can also be found easily on website as design consultant
companies, everywhere across the world. Take this real practice as an absolute example:
“ CK Architectural provides personal and professional architectural services for design, building regulations and planning applications…” “…Though we are not Architects, our skills, dedication and knowledge of design processes, current building regulations and planning policies means you receive an unparalleled service. ” - CK Architectural Leeds
It is clearly stated that they’re not architects, but providing professional architectural services. How did they manage to hide behind the shadow of design consultants?
54
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
They are defined as person(s) either
Part 1 /Part 2 graduate architects, or graduate interior designers, or design & build contractors, whom impersonate as an architect and uses their
registered non architectural consultancy practice (ACP)
companies
under
Companies
House
and/or other related companies to provide
architectural consultancy services to the public. There are many ways on how they run this type of illegal practice.
This can be referred to a client, appointing
a non ACP which provides basic scope in
consultancy services, and sub-appointing to a registered ACP. In the early design stages, the
non ACP would produce design and drawings from A to Z. Knowing that they never be able
to get a stamp for all drawings without partners
who are licensed, they would sub-appoint an ACP to seek for professional architects’ stamp/
signature in order to get their drawing approved by authority. In the unfortunate event, they would
liaise with planners and third parties answering any questions to progress the application as efficiently as possible. It seems to be appropriate
because of the presence of a professional architect but this is where it goes wrong.
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ] BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 55
chapter 5
where it went wrong
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
WHERE IT WENT WRONG
The diagram above explains the brief
procedural route on how an illegal practice is being run in order to complete the whole project.. One of the best example of a real
practice to describe the above scenario is HL Design Group Sdn Bhd in Malaysia. In terms of
economic performance among countries in Asia, Malaysia is well acknowledged as one of the best developing country and had strong number
of investors. The excellent economic status achievement
encouraged
foreign
architects
to enter the local architecture industry. HL Design Group, or formerly known as Haeger
Lindsey Wilkins Sdn Bhd, was founded back in the 1994 in Malaysia by the architects from
the United Kingdom. It is a multi-disciplinary
Since its formation, HL Design has
achieved an excellent portfolio of work in
Asia, with projects from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Fiji, Philippines, Vietnam and also China. However, it is understood that all of their
projects in Malaysia are accomplished with a
little help of local architects. Their projects are executed by local registered architects with HL Design providing the role as design consultant.
It is undoubtedly unlawful and irresponsible way for architects to get commission by simply
selling their stamps and personal signatures to third parties, who is believed to initiate all design schemes and drawings without being under provision of the signing professional architect.
design consultancy company, ranging skills in Architecture, Strategy and Interior Design.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 57
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
WHERE IT WENT WRONG
According to the law, foreign architects
are not bounded to any existing rules in Malaysia.
They often use the services of local architects, which have been supposed to comply with the
requirements of the Architects Professional Code of Conduct in Malaysia. The irony, in the event
of any accident/mistake in the design scheme by
the foreign architect, the actual local professional
architect will be accused violates the provisions
of the Architects Act 1967 as stipulated under Code 3, the Code of Professional Conduct for Architects, Code 3 [8]:
“ A Professional Architect shall not certify, affix or put his signature to drawings, plans or specifications which are not prepared by him, his employees or persons under his supervision for the purpose of obtaining the approval from the relevant Authority. ”
58
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
In relation to the above, illegal practices
can also be categorized in the way that a
professional architect conducts illegal practice in lieu of their ACP. It happens when a professional architect
delivers
architectural
consultancy
service via a company that isn’t registered with ARB. He did knowingly, and in full awareness
of the illegality of his actions, under Architects
Act Section 7A 1(a), this architect might not be eligible for his rights.
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
WHERE IT WENT WRONG
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 59
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
WHERE IT WENT WRONG
These illegal practices usually offers
initial consultation for completely free. During
the first consultation they will provide a clear understanding of the process and also the likely
cost of the project. In this early stage according to the Scale of Minimum Fees, it should have
been taken into account but they just got to do it for free in order to attract clients. Wong
(2007), in a discussion regarding discount rule in
professional field, strongly believe that haggling over fees only results in lowering the dignity of
the legal profession. A discount will not lead to
undercutting as the public should be able to appreciate that the cheapest may not be the best. Unfortunately, licensed architect will need to compete with unlicensed designer who has low liability and minimal overhead in running their business (LePage 2014).
However you look at it, you can’t deny
that this is really happening in the architecture industry. It is happening almost everywhere,
where layperson gets engaged to illegal practices that sub-appoint a professional architect to stamp
their drawings. Selling, or providing professional
autograph for granted by the architects is strictly unacceptable as this action is contravening the
Architects Act. The architect may be subjected to Section 15, under the Disciplinary Order if he/ she is found guilty.
60
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
So why is this still happening in actual
reality? Why are these practices still running normally as if they’re not wrong? Here is why: Apparently in the UK and some other countries,
legal action by the authority is not easy to be
carried out. The unlicensed architect who actually provide architectural practices under the name of design consultant companies aren’t register to ARB. Being unlawful individuals who have
no conduct and liability under the Architects
Act, it is very unlikely for the ARB to take legal actions.
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
WHERE IT WENT WRONG
Take New York as an example; on how
serious they are about illegal architects and also illegal practices as a serious offense. The
right as an architect is so rigorously protected in the United States of America, as any person
who is pleaded guilty might be given penalty or even sentenced to imprisonment. In 2005,
an unlicensed architect James Arriaga lost his government job, after being busted of
defrauding over 150 clients within his 4 years of moonlighting architecture works. He was found
Again, it is stated very clearly without an
architectural license, one must not call himself an
architect or perform any architectural services; But sadly, these irresponsible individuals still carry out illegal practices in the UK and in many other countries. Who’s enforcing them, and how
can they be stopped? This is why the right to
practise as an architect is so rigorously protected in the United State of America. If USA can do it, why not us?
guilty for practicing architecture without a license and outsourced the enforcement with stamp/
seal of an actual licensed architect. Arriaga was sentenced to a 4-months of weekend in jail. He had been given 5 years of probation and had to
pay compensation to the city council with the total of $10,000 (Hurley and Scappini 2009).
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 61
chapter 6
conclusion;
the solution is within
you
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
It might be highly reasonable to highlight
some of the main reasons and issues regarding
the emergence of these illegal practices. We are all aware of their existence, so it is worth knowing why, and to put some effort in preventing this scenario to expand in the future.
THEY DON’T RESPONSIBILITY
WANT
by
Another
reason
THE
non-qualified
architects not to pursue their professional license is because they don’t want the responsibility.
THEY WONDER E V E N B OT H E R
WHY
DO
THEY
They are well acknowledged of the amount of responsibility and risk involved every time they
stamp or sign a drawing. Getting a professional
license raises the chances of being sued. For There are few reasons as to why both non-
example being sued for what was evidently the
unprofessional practice. Architectural graduates
was drawn on the drawings from the architect.
professional license. Many young graduates
will only limit your aim for getting a professional
have a successful career. They love architecture,
architects are trying to avoid this but it is worth
feel the need to prove themselves to anyone
license would benefit them in the future. On
as important. With the absence of the license,
architects to be unprofessional when it comes to
companies, rather than architectural consultancy
pride by providing illegal services such as their
qualified and licensed architects result to this
fault of the contractor not following exactly what
or part 2 “architects” simply do not wish to get
However, having this mindset isn’t healthy as it
think that they won’t be needing a license to
license. It is understandable that non-qualified
definitely enjoying their work but they don’t
looking into a better picture, of what having a
else. For them, professional license is just not
the other hand, this has caused many licensed
they would just prefer setting up incorporated
getting extra income. They would sacrifice their
practices. This would allow flexibility of the
signatures and stamps to non ACP.
to partner with other persons, making it able to
injection to their business. I strongly disagree
as well. Professional licenses need to be kept or
definitely means that you will be restricted to
become another burden, making them avoid
after all, is what you’ve been taught to do. Not
expressed themselves disappointed as being
from advancing in your life.
professional examinations, and also compulsory
company itself. It enables their business set up
After being licensed, we are all aware that
allow financial investors to contribute for capital
we have to commit with the never-ending fee
with this, as not having architecture license
maintained active by paying fees annually. This
provide architectural consultancy services, which
from getting a license. Non-qualified architects
having a professional license is also blocking you
required to pay ridiculous amount of money for
membership fees, after all generous financial commitment in 5-6 years of architecture school. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 63
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
T H E Y ’ R E P H Y S I C A L LY, M E N TA L LY & E M O T I O N A L LY E X H A U S T E D
There has been arguments regarding
the inconsistency of passing rate for Part 3 professional examination across the world. Over
the years, we have been blaming the candidates for having poor knowledge and experiences in
architecture industry. In Figure 7 (Chapter 3) we have seen the passing rate of Part 3 professional
examination differs very significantly across the
world. I do not think that many people are aware of these facts, even I, honestly did not, in the beginning of writing this essay.
Many would argue that the strict passing
rate is to protect the public interest, and assuming that only those who are with better or higher
level of knowledge can be registered. This is true indeed, but more inclusive approaches should
be created, to standardize the architecture profession as a whole; not to standardize it
according to region or country. To paraphrase,
this professional course should be standardized
across the world, in a way that passing rates in all countries is rated in the same general way.
I have come across many friends and
colleagues (Part 2 graduates) in Malaysia, who have failed professional examinations for over
4 to 5 times, and feeling discourage in getting their licenses. They have gotten to a phase to stop trying as they just do not know of what to
do to pass this examination. The irony, these
candidates are amongst experienced employees and have always been performing well, running project after project for years in practice. 64
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
In my opinion, it is worth to consider a
major review of the professional examination system to increase the passing rate. It is also
unfair for all candidates, as they aren’t allowed
to review their answer scripts. They should have
been given the opportunity to review their
answer script after markings have been done, to find out what mistakes they made, making the
learning process more rational, thus allowing them to learn from their mistakes and strive for better results in their next attempt.
I am not, for a moment, suggesting
that all architecture registration body such as; Architecture Registration Board (ARB, United Kingdom), Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia – Board
of Architects Malaysia (LAM, Malaysia), National
Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB, United States of America) and many others to turn the tables and start lowering
their standards, but there must be a way to start standardizing our professional examination
passing marks, thus standardizing architecture profession in the built environment industry.
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
LET’S DO OUR PROFESSIONALS
PA R T S
AS
THE ARCHITECTS CODE 2017
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 65
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
LET’S DO OUR PROFESSIONALS
PA R T S
AS
Because of this matter, it’s often uncertain
to the graduate architects to establish practice without any guideline to success. My view is that
all graduates should at least receive a doctorate
and the title “architect” upon graduation. In this way, the definition of who we are and what we do as an “architect” is clear. Prior to that, a
license to practice independently would follow
after 2 years and each practice then, should be licensed by the registration board, depending on their performance and standard.
Looking back to all relevant reasons,
who is at fault? Is it the desperate graduates’
or the unprofessional licensed architects’? Or
is it possibly the fault of the local authorities?
In wider perspectives, they all have their own mistakes. I believe that our constitution as architects isn’t strong enough to avoid of all these from happening. Although no serious
action has been taken yet, the local authority
should be more strict and serious on imposing
charges and penalty to prevent illegal practices from growing.
66
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
While gathering information for this
essay, I express myself shocked with the number of design consultant companies that can easily
be found on the internet, claiming themselves as
being able to provide professional architectural consultancy
services;
endangering
our
profession. I admit that this issue is not being
taken seriously by the architecture institutions and authorities. The solution to our profession’s
problem is amongst us independent graduates,
architects and also our registration board. We all
should be well aware of our own responsibilities and be devoted of our professional code
of conduct and practice. It will take robust command, consistency and a continuous effort
to find feasible solutions. It is time the world understood what we do and how we do our parts as professionals.
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ] BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 67
chapter 7
SWOC
self appraisal
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
I honestly, have never imagine that writing
a self-evaluation is the most intimidating task. As I’m writing this essay to a close, being just 5
months away from being a graduate architect, I
feel more uncertain about my working life after university, with limited choices and dubious future in architecture profession.
My strength lies within my experiences of
being truly independent person, struggling with all fear that I pushed aside towards achieving my
dream in architecture profession. I have worked in an environment that pushed the current limits
of my abilities. With the experience of working in Malaysia as an architectural assistant, and
the determination to adapt with significant changes while studying abroad, has allowed me
to develop and enhance my creative skills in architecture scene in wider perspectives.
Although I have become better as an
individual person, I think it’s equally important not to gloss over my weaknesses. My weaknesses lie
in mainly my graphical presentation skills. Having
studied at two very contrasting universities, I have gained myself a variety approaches to
architecture with elements I had not thought
could relate. During my undergraduate studies at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia, we were thought differently with approaches and aims; of
absolute attention to precision, detail of building services together with accuracy in maths and
physics. Graphics and captivating illustrations was not one of the top requirements. I had to
push myself to my limit in order to accomplish my goals and slowly adapt to the nature of the education in the UK. I find this as an interesting
opportunity where I can put all my knowledge together in producing better designs and outcomes. Although being trained in Malaysia,
the university is indeed RIBA accredited and do not have much different in terms of the system
in delivering architecture. This Professional Studies course has built my knowledge in British architectural practice system, and I am delighted to be able to understand how architectural practices and profession works in both country.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 69
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
I have always been dreaming to become
a professional and licensed architect in the UK. However, being an international student, I am fully
aware of the complications that I’ll be meddling with. The threat to my success is basically the struggle to work in the UK. Obtaining a working
visa, is a major obstacle that probably cease my opportunity to gain working experience abroad. Being realistic, after graduating from the M.Arch
programme I will most likely be finding a job in Malaysia and looking forward on how I can contribute back to my country.
Whilst
writing
this
essay,
from
the
researches and studies I’ve done make me more
aware of this profession that I have developed interest in. Looking into the future that I’m going
to invest myself into, is undeniably scary. I would
say the biggest challenge for me is to compete with other graduate architects in Malaysia in
Other than becoming a professional
licensed
architect,
I
foresee what the future will bring for me. I had very fruitful conversations with many colleagues
and friends who are currently in Malaysia, in the same architecture industry, claiming that illegal
practices are coping up, and now influencing job markets and choices for architectural graduates.
It is worrying to know this is really happening around us but we just could not do much about
it. I know to avoid this scenario is not going to
be as easy as how I recommended in the essay, as much as I hate to admit.
70
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
have
considered
pursuing a career as a tutor, seeing this as a valuable opportunity in developing my selfconfidence and teaching skills. Having come this
far in architecture profession, I would absolutely like to qualify as an architect, and will look on
how teaching be as a part-time career alongside with professional job.
I finally understood how important it
is to know about the current scenario of the profession and to prepare myself in facing the challenges in the industry. But to answer this
particular matter questioned in the brief; Where does this all leave me post university? To be
honest, I am not sure. This progression of our
profession will not happen overnight, but I hope to have a future in architecture.
getting a license as the passing rate is relatively high as discussed in the essay. It is difficult to
also
Thank you for reading.
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ] BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 71
bibliography
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
Miracle, B (2011) War of the words. Architangent.
Royal British Institute of Architects (RIBA).
com/2011/06/war-of-the-words/ [Accessed on
[Online]
[Online]
Available
at:
http://architangent.
15th November 2017]
Farrell, T, (2015). The Farrell Review 2015. [Online] Available
at:
http://www.farrellreview.co.uk/
explore [Accessed on 15th November 2017]
Jamieson, C. (2011). Building Futures. ‘The Future for Architects? Full Report’. RIBA, London. [Online]
Available at: http://www.buildingfutures.org.uk/ assets/downloads/The_Future_for_Architects_
Full_Report_2.pdf [Accessed on 17th December 2017]
Stott, R (2013) BD Survey Reveals 22% of UK Architects
Unemployed.
Archdaily.
[Online]
Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/341449/ b d - s u r v e y - r e v e a l s - 2 2 - o f- u k- a r c h i t e c t s -
unemployed/ [Accessed on 17th November 2017] Stott, R (2013) The Reality Behind those UK Unemployment Statistics. Archdaily. [Online]
Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/348035/ the-reality-behind-those-uk-unemploymentstatistics [Accessed on 17th November 2017]
Booth, E. (2013) Fretton: ‘Raise the bar higher at the schools’. The Architects’ Journal. [Online] Available
at:
https://www.architectsjournal.
co.uk/home/fretton-raise-the-bar-higher-at-
the-schools/8651260.article [Accessed on 28th December 2017]
(2017)
RIBA
Education
Available
Statistics
at:
2015/16.
https://www.
a rc h i t e c t u re . c o m / - / m e d i a / g a t h e rc o n t e n t / education-statistics/additional-documents/
educationstatistics201516pdf.pdf [Accessed on: 28th December 2017]
Quirk, V. (2014). The Ratio of Architects to Inhabitants Around the World. ArchDaily. [Online]
Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/501477/ does-italy-have-way-too-many-architects-the-
ratio-of-architects-to-inhabitants-around-theworld [Accessed on 18th December 2017]
Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia. (Board of Architects
Malaysia) [Online] Available at: http://www.lam. gov.my/ [Accessed on 18th December 2017]
Universiti Putra Malaysia, (2011) Hala Tuju Pendidikan Seni Bina di Malaysia. (The Direction
of Architectural Education in Malaysia) [Online] Available at: https://www.moe.gov.my/images/ Terbitan/Rujukan-Akademik/Hala%20Tuju%20 Pendidikan%20Seni%20Bina%20di%20Malaysia. pdf [Accessed on 12th December 2017]
Architects Act 1997 (c.20) London: The Stationery Office Limited
CK Architectural Leeds. (2015) [Online] Available at:
http://www.ckarchitecturalleeds.co.uk/
[Accessed on 30th December 2017]
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 73
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
HL Design Group Sdn Bhd. [Online] Available at:
AIA New York State. Architecture: What’s Legal,
29th December 2017]
aialongisland.com/what_s_legal_whats_not.pdf
http://hlarchitecture.net/about-us/ [Accessed on
Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia. Code of Professional
What’s Not. [Online] Available at: http://www. [Accessed on 11th December 2017]
Conduct for Architects. (c.3[8]) [Online] Available
Bryson, B. (2017) Future of Architects: Extinction
of-conduct/architects.html [Accessed on 29th
Available at: https://www.di.net/articles/future-
at:
http://www.lam.gov.my/index.php/code-
December 2017]
Architects Act 1997 (c.7A 1(a)) London: The
or Irrelevance. Design Intelligence. [Online] architects-extinction-irrelevance/ [Accessed on 11th December 2017]
Stationery Office Limited
Riscica, M. 10 Great Reasons Not To Get
Wong, A. (2007) The Law & Reality: The No
[Online] Available at: https://youngarchitect.
Discount Rule. The Malaysian Bar. [Online] Available at: http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/ solicitor s_remuneration_enforcement_sub_
committee/law_realty_the_no_discount_rule.
Your Architecture License. Young Architect. com/2014/11/15/10-great-reasons-not-to-getyour-architecture-license-become-an-architect/ [Accessed on 11th December 2017]
html [Accessed on 19th December]
No name (2013) Architects and Moonlighting.
Lepage, M. (2014) Independent Architects Are
www.lifeofanarchitect.com/architects-and-
Leading the Way for Change. Design Intelligence.
[Online] Available at: https://www.di.net/articles/
independent-architects-are-leading-the-way-
Life of an Architect. [Online] Available at: https://
moonlighting/ [Accessed on 11th December 2017]
for-change/ [Accessed on 12th December 2017]
Baharudin, N. (2010) Architects & a developing
Hurley, A. and Scappini, J. (2009) Trust Me,
blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/architects-developing-
I’m an (Unlicensed) Architect. The Journal of
The American Institute of Architects. [Online] Available at: http://www.architectmagazine.com/ practice/trust-me-im-an-unlicensed-architect_o [Accessed on 19th December 2017]
Rules of the Boards of Regents. (c. .29.3(a)(3)). New York.
74
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Malaysia. [Online] Available at: http://amioz. malaysia.html#!/tcmbck December 2017]
[Accessed
on
29th
Razak, R. Article on Beware of Illegal Architect & Practice. [Online] Available at: https://www. scribd.com/document/360869262/Article-onBeware-of-Illegal-Architect-Practice on 29th December 2017]
[Accessed
PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
[ Note: This is a back to back printing document. Page is intentionally left empty. ] BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 75